Month: January

On a regular basis all clubs should review their financial records and compare these to their annual budget.

Clubs that do not do this can easily overspend, especially at times during the season when cashflow is high and bank balances are over inflated.

Budgets should be prepared in June / July each season - refer to the article in June detailing how to prepare a cricket club budget. Below is a sample of a cricket club budget and some likely expenses.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

Applications to these grant funds are very competitive and you need to give your application every opportunity to be successful.

The boards who review the applications are looking for key criteria to be addressed, and it is best to focus your application on these:

Helping make the sport more accessible to new participants through reduced costs, improved equipment and better facilities;

Attracting new volunteers by providing the necessary training and equipment;

Providing a link to the local community with improved facilities and their ability to access these.

Retaining current participants through improvements to the club infrastructure (facilities, equipment, training).

Certain groups are generally given more priority for funding including:

Young people

People with a disability

Indigenous people

Below are some tips for the type of content to include on your application:

Application Details:

Which one category best describes the people to be assisted by your proposed application?

Select a specific group, if in doubt select “Young People”

Funding Criteria:

3 - How many people access your organisation/group facilities/services annually?

Include numbers for all cricket matches and other sports. Cricket would see 2000+ people throughout the year access the facilities (this is players, parents and volunteers). Double this number at least if you host a winter sport.

Remember – when the board reviews the application they will look at how many people will benefit.

4 - What does your organisation do?

Mention things like “develop the game of cricket” and “involve the community” and “encourage participation”

A sample answer:

The club is heavily focused on encouraging junior participation, skills development and professional team values in the game of cricket. We are dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of cricket of cricket on the Gold Coast and in our local community.

5 - What geographical area does your organisation/group cover?

The larger the area, the better. All Gold Coast clubs would have players from through the Gold Coast, not just a specific suburb. Also mention any tour matches or representative matches you host that involves other people from Queensland.

Application Overview:

1 - How did you identify the need for the grant?

Some key points for this section include:

Feedback from players, parents & volunteers

Committee meetings

Council requirements

Cricket Gold Coast requirements

Recommendations from QLD Cricket or Cricket Australia

Community Benefit:

1 - Please outline the benefit to your organisation and the community if this application is successful

THIS IS THE KEY QUESTION

Discuss the growth in the population on the Gold Coast, and in particular your local community and how you will be better able to cope with these increases if the grant is approved. Also discuss how improvements will allow you to attract schools and other community groups to use the facilities. Finally discuss how the grant will benefit your current members through reduced fees, improved training and therefore improved performance, and how it will help your current volunteers.

Sample Answer:

The Gold Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and as population increases continue, upgrades and additions to community infrastructure become necessary to ensure that appropriate facilities are provided to support community participation in sport. Suitable cricket facilities, will enable the club to continue supporting it’s members, visiting teams and surrounding schools in playing club cricket and in particularly to support participation by the community in the game of cricket.

We also believe that having these improved facilities will encourage more people from the local community to become involved in the sport, and even attract past players to return to the club.

2 - Please outline any partnerships established for this application

Partnerships may include: Cricket Gold Coast, Queensland Cricket, Gold Coast City Council, Local politicians, schools and other sports groups that use the facilities.

Grant Funding Referees:

Three referees MUST be provided. Two key referees are your development officer from Cricket Gold Coast, your local divisional councillor from Gold Coast City Council. The third referee can be from a local school or other user group of the facilities.

There are various option available for Junior Cricket presentation days, and it is entirely up to the individual club which option they prefer.

Family fun day. Clubs hire rides, jumping castles and plan an event that runs all day. This can generate a lot of income through bar sales throughout the day.

Staggered presentation day. Each junior team is allocated a time to attend the day, usually a low-key event and people tend to come and go throughout the day. Still a good source of income, but not as much as the family fun day (but also considerably less work involved).

Hold age group evenings. This can be done through the week, with a sausage sizzle etc and each presentation can be done in less than one hour. Very low income to be earned, however there is also very little organising to be done.

Regardless of which option the club chooses, several things are important to consider:

Ensure all trophies and team photos are ready for distribution, and spelling is correct.

Check with Cricket Gold Coast if any players received association awards, which can be presented / acknowledged on the day.

All junior players, coaches, managers are invited.

Sponsors should also be invited, especially those with ties to junior cricket.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

A growing number of cricketers are playing in organised Winter cricket competitions on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane.

These competitions should be advertised to all junior and senior club members. The major benefit to clubs is that players competing will improve their skills and fitness levels in preparation for the Summer season.

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

The senior cricket presentation evening is a major event for all cricket clubs, and an extremely important one for clubs to get right as this is the one time through the year where all players are present. How the presentation evening is conducted is generally a reflection of the running of hte club - at least that is the perception of the players who attend.

Te presentation evening should be conducted as early as possibly after the end of the cricket season.

The article in January explains the process for sourcing a venue for the evening.

There are a number of things that a club needs to consider when planning their presentation evening:

Invitations

All senior players

Any junior players who also played senior cricket

Sponsors

Committee members

Club supporters

Club Patrons

Local politicians

Life Members

Trophies

Ensure all perpetual trophies are collected, engraved and repaired as needed

Review last season’s trophies to ensure the same ones are awarded, especially those donated to the club

Refer to article in March for the Ordering of Trophies

Catering

If the location of the evening is outsourced generally the venue will coordinate all the catering, however ensure that this is the case.

If the event is held at the clubrooms then catering will need to be arranged.

Remember to check for any special dietary requirements prior to the evening and advise the caterers of this.

Venue preparation

The room should be decorated in club colours and can include balloons, streamers and table decorations

Table names should be provided for VIPs and guests so they know where they are seated

Usually the players will want to sit in teams, so if possible you should plan to accommodate this by providing tables of 12, or multiple tables of 6 etc. It is also a good idea to place team names on these tables to avoid confusion.

MC / Host

A Master of Ceremonies should be appointed for the evening. This person is best to come from outside the committee and can even be hired for a reasonable fee.

A full running sheet of speakers and their role at the club, trophies and the winners as well as timing of the meals should be provided to the MC.

A microphone, PA system and lectern should be provided

Entertainment

The demographics of those attending should be considered when planning any entertainment for the evening. This includes male / female as well as the age of the present.

March

Clubs should periodically review their strategic plan to ensure that the committee decisions and club direction align with the goals set down at the start of the season.

The strategic plan should only be a short document that is easly reviewed and can even become an agenda item at every executive committee meeting.

As club members would have been consulted during the development phase of the strategic plan, it is also a good idea to update them on the progress so they are aware the club is still working towards its goals.

Refer to article in June - ADMIN – Develop Strategic Plan for a guide on preparing a strategic plan.

NOTE: It is important to understand the roles and responsibilities of the various members of a committee. If everyone understands what their responsibilities are, the committee has greater chances of making progress and achieving desired objectives on a consistent basis.

Clubs should contact winter tenants prior to the cricket season ending and the winter sport commencing.

Topics that should be covered include (not all may be relevant to your club):

Reciprocal advertising of sign-on days

Expected end of season date

Storage of equipment

Current condition of buildings, and any repairs that are needed

Access to turf wicket for renovations prior to season start

Upgrades to facilities

Possible joint functions

There can be considerable benefits for cricket clubs forming a strong relationship with the winter tenants including increased membership, greater attendance at club functions and it can also improve the chances for the club obtaining grants for facility improvement.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

At the end of the season the club should look at the number of junior and senior teams fielded in the local competition, and determine how many grounds are required and how many grounds they currently have access to. Generally allow 2 teams per ground to cater for home / away rotations.

Cricket Gold Coast will work closely with clubs that have a deficiency in the number of grounds to source new grounds and may even assist with funding.

Consider school grounds as well as unused open space.

A new synthetic cricket pitch will cost approximately $10,000 installed, and approximately $3,000 to re-cover an existing wicket.

Ensure wicket surface is dry before mowing. Cut the wicket as short as if you were preparing it for a match. Ensure a catcher is used to prevent organic material staying on the wicket square.

Step 2. Scarifying

A walk-behind scarifier is ideal for this task. A light scaryfing is required post season to remove old organic debris, however as the growing period has nearly ended ensure not too much grass is removed during this process.

Step 3. Fertilising and top dressing

You will need a quantity of blood and bone and lawn food. Contact a turf fetiliser supplier and discuss your requirements each season, current condition of the block, grass coverage etc. They will recommend and supply your requirements:

Paul McLean - Nuturf - 0488 333 939Peter Abel - Globe - 0418 984 668

You will also need approximately one to two drums of top soil for the entire wicket block. The crushed soil should be spread either by (a) the use of a laser leveller or (b) by raking the loose soil as evenly as possible over the wicket surface, paying particular attention to footholes and low areas created during the season. It should then be hosed into the wicket surface, until the soil becomes completely broken down (like mud). The wicket block should be watered every day for the first week, then every second day for another week.

Step 4. Follow Up

For grounds that host AFL or other winter wports, it is a good idea to add a nutrient and moisture program throughout their season to help promote some growth prior to the start of the cricket season. Contact the suppliers above for a recommendation on the nutrients to be used, and supply of same.

At the end of every season the club treasurer to finalise the club financial records and complete an income and expenditure statement (Profit & Loss) as well as a statement of assets and liabilities (Balance Sheet).

See article in June FINANCE - Record Keeping Requirements for details on what is required throught the year by a treasurer.

Financial Reporting Requirements

For the purposes of financial reporting, an incorporated association may be classed as a level 1, level 2 or level 3 association, depending on its current assets and revenue. The three levels have different financial reporting requirements.

Current assets are assets that are easily turned into cash. They include cash itself, shares, accounts receivable and short-term investments. Current assets do not include property or depreciable assets. Total revenue is an incorporated association´s total income during its last financial year before any expenses are deducted.

If your incorporated association´s activities are governed by more than one piece of legislation, then you will need to make sure the financial reporting requirements of all the legislation are met. For example, if your incorporated association operates under the Gaming Machine Act 1991 or raises funds under the Collections Act 1966, then auditing requirements under these pieces of legislation will also need to be met.

Your incorporated association level and auditing requirements are as follows:

Level 1

Current assets of more than $100 000 or total revenue of more than $100 000.

A certified accountant or auditor must audit the financial statements.

Level 2

Current assets between $20 000 and $100 000 and/or total revenue between $20 000 and $100 000.

Incorporated associations required under the Collections Act 1966, Gaming Machine Act 1991 or under any law for any other purpose:A certified accountant or auditor, or person approved by the Commissioner for Fair Trading, must audit the financial statements.

For other level 2 incorporated:A certified accountant or auditor, or a person approved by the Commissioner for Fair Trading, must verify the financial statements.

The verification statement must state ´I have sighted the association´s financial records and the financial records show that the association has book keeping processes in place to adequately record the association´s income and expenditure and dealings with its assets and liabilities´.

Level 3

Current assets of less than $20 000 and total revenue of less than $20 000.

Incorporated associations required under the Collections Act 1966, Gaming Machine Act 1991 or under any law for any other purpose:A certified accountant or auditor, or person approved by the Commissioner for Fair Trading, must audit the financial statements.

For other level 3 incorporated:The President or Treasurer must verify the financial statements.

The verification statement must state ´The association keeps financial records in a way which properly records the association´s income and expenditure and dealings with its assets and liabilities´.

Annual Lodgements:

Your incorporated association must prepare an annual return. The management committee must ensure financial statements are prepared and presented to the AGM for adoption.

The annual return must also include a copy of the financial statement presented at the AGM, signed and dated by either the President or the Treasurer, including:

a profit and loss statement (income and expenditure)

a balance sheet (assets and liabilities)

all mortgages, charges and securities that affect any of your incorporated association´s property at the close of the financial year

a copy of the accountant or auditor´s report, or the verification statement, signed in accordance with your incorporated association´s reporting requirements.

You will be sent this form within one month of your incorporated association´s financial year ending. If you do not receive or need another copy of this form, please send a request to The Office of Fair Trading Registration Services branch.

If your incorporated association has not conducted any financial transactions during its financial year, and it has no assets or liabilities, you must submit a statutory declaration with the Form 12 stating this.

If your incorporated association would like a receipt for the annual return fee, request one when you lodge the return.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

May

Clubs should periodically review their strategic plan to ensure that the committee decisions and club direction align with the goals set down at the start of the season.

The strategic plan should only be a short document that is easly reviewed and can even become an agenda item at every executive committee meeting.

As club members would have been consulted during the development phase of the strategic plan, it is also a good idea to update them on the progress so they are aware the club is still working towards its goals.

Refer to article in June - ADMIN – Develop Strategic Plan for a guide on preparing a strategic plan.

At the end of the season, and after the club financials have been audited, clubs should complete an analysis of their budget compared to their actual finances. Most discrepancies are the result of errors in the budget however all discrepancies should be fully investigated to determine why there was a difference.

At times these discrepancies can highlight other problems at the club. One of the major reasons for discrepancies can be lower than expected membership which results in less expenses, but also less revenue. This highlights a critical issue to the club that may have been overlooked – a decline participant numbers.

This review can also highlight areas where the club has overspent and the off-season is the ideal time for committee members to try to source cheaper prices for things like clothing, equipment and food and beverages.

Applications to these grant funds are very competitive and you need to give your application every opportunity to be successful.

The boards who review the applications are looking for key criteria to be addressed, and it is best to focus your application on these:

Helping make the sport more accessible to new participants through reduced costs, improved equipment and better facilities;

Attracting new volunteers by providing the necessary training and equipment;

Providing a link to the local community with improved facilities and their ability to access these.

Retaining current participants through improvements to the club infrastructure (facilities, equipment, training).

Certain groups are generally given more priority for funding including:

Young people

People with a disability

Indigenous people

Below are some tips for the type of content to include on your application:

Application Details:

Which one category best describes the people to be assisted by your proposed application?

Select a specific group, if in doubt select “Young People”

Funding Criteria:

3 - How many people access your organisation/group facilities/services annually?

Include numbers for all cricket matches and other sports. Cricket would see 2000+ people throughout the year access the facilities (this is players, parents and volunteers). Double this number at least if you host a winter sport.

Remember – when the board reviews the application they will look at how many people will benefit.

4 - What does your organisation do?

Mention things like “develop the game of cricket” and “involve the community” and “encourage participation”

A sample answer:

The club is heavily focused on encouraging junior participation, skills development and professional team values in the game of cricket. We are dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of cricket of cricket on the Gold Coast and in our local community.

5 - What geographical area does your organisation/group cover?

The larger the area, the better. All Gold Coast clubs would have players from through the Gold Coast, not just a specific suburb. Also mention any tour matches or representative matches you host that involves other people from Queensland.

Application Overview:

1 - How did you identify the need for the grant?

Some key points for this section include:

Feedback from players, parents & volunteers

Committee meetings

Council requirements

Cricket Gold Coast requirements

Recommendations from QLD Cricket or Cricket Australia

Community Benefit:

1 - Please outline the benefit to your organisation and the community if this application is successful

THIS IS THE KEY QUESTION

Discuss the growth in the population on the Gold Coast, and in particular your local community and how you will be better able to cope with these increases if the grant is approved. Also discuss how improvements will allow you to attract schools and other community groups to use the facilities. Finally discuss how the grant will benefit your current members through reduced fees, improved training and therefore improved performance, and how it will help your current volunteers.

Sample Answer:

The Gold Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and as population increases continue, upgrades and additions to community infrastructure become necessary to ensure that appropriate facilities are provided to support community participation in sport. Suitable cricket facilities, will enable the club to continue supporting it’s members, visiting teams and surrounding schools in playing club cricket and in particularly to support participation by the community in the game of cricket.

We also believe that having these improved facilities will encourage more people from the local community to become involved in the sport, and even attract past players to return to the club.

2 - Please outline any partnerships established for this application

Partnerships may include: Cricket Gold Coast, Queensland Cricket, Gold Coast City Council, Local politicians, schools and other sports groups that use the facilities.

Grant Funding Referees:

Three referees MUST be provided. Two key referees are your development officer from Cricket Gold Coast, your local divisional councillor from Gold Coast City Council. The third referee can be from a local school or other user group of the facilities.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

One of key elements to your budget should be how much the club is required to charge for player registration / membership fees. This can be calculated by refering the to Player Expenses in the sample budget below.

The sample budget also lists Club Expenses. Some of these may also need to be factored into membership fees, others may be covered by raffle / sponsorship / bar revenue. Depending on the structure of your club, some of these expenses may not be relevant.

When calculating revenue, clubs should always be conservative, especially with sponsorship and raffle revenue income as quite often plans may not eventuate.

Larger incorporated associations may also be required to use a journal and/or ledger. This depends on the type of financial operations your incorporated association requires. If you are unsure, contact your auditor or verifier for more information.

All financial records for your incorporated association must be kept for at least seven years after the final entry.

Cash book and receipt book

Your incorporated association´s cash book is used to record all cash or cheque payments (expenditure) and receipts. It is generally kept in chronological order and split into two sections, one for payments and one for receipts. Your receipts should reconcile with your bank statements.

All monies received should be recorded and a receipt issued. Your incorporated association is required to keep a duplicate of all receipts, and you´ll need these at audit time.

You also need to keep a register of these receipt books. Generally, incorporated associations use more than one receipt book each financial year, and this will help you and your auditor or verifier keep track of them.

The cash book should be balanced at regular intervals (e.g. monthly), and a reconciliation made between the cash book and bank balance.

Bank statements and petty cash book

Your incorporated association must hold an account with a financial institution in Queensland. Unless your incorporated association intends to make all payments over $100 via electronic funds transfer, the account will need to be a cheque account, or at least an account from which cheques can be drawn.

The management committee must be recorded in meeting minutes as either approving or ratifying all payments. Therefore, any invoices that need to be paid must be raised by the Treasurer at a management committee or general meeting for approval.

Any payment over $100 must be paid by cheque or electronic transfer. Any amount less than this can be paid from your incorporated association´s petty cash. All payments from petty cash must be recorded in the petty cash book.

Journals and ledgers

Keeping a journal and ledger is generally only necessary for larger incorporated associations that must keep track of numerous accounts. All transactions are initially recorded in the journal in chronological order, then into the ledger. The ledger is a place to keep track of a number of accounts that may be used for different purposes.

Asset register

The asset register is a place for your incorporated association to record the details of all assets acquired and owned since incorporation. You need to include details such as the date of acquisition, cost, depreciation, location (if applicable) and disposal of assets. This register will assist your management committee to keep track of your association´s assets, and will also be needed at audit time.

Put simply – it’s tough. Consumer sentiment is low and businesses are spending on the essentials only. It’s all about sales….generating sales leads and generating sales.

One of the most important assets a club has is its community – its players and volunteers and their families. These are the target market of the local retailers and of course the multinationals as well.

In today’s society, people are time poor, have limited budgets and are being bombarded by advertising messages, so it’s hard to get through without spending a lot of money, particularly for the little guys. This is where the club community holds great value for local business.

Through involvement with the club, a local business can get direct promotion to its target market.

When developing your sponsorship package, along with specific branding opportunities eg naming rights to the U14 team, include opportunities for the sponsor to gain access to the club’s community.

This may be invitations to key club events such as a

pre-season planning meeting

season launch,

presentation days/nights

carnivals

a special golf day or lunch to allow them to network directly with other sponsors or ‘target’ members of the club community

In addition

Identify the people within the club community that are of most interest to them and provide a personal introduction

Letter or email to all players

Ads on the club website

Identify specific opportunities for the sponsor to be seen by as many as possible as good blokes or ladies.

For example at club events:

Let them shout the bar for one hour, 30 minutes

Present player awards (sponsor to provide the prize)

Present volunteer awards (sponsor to provide the prize)

How to create sponsorship packages:

Identify how you can offer access to your club community to sponsors

Ensure there is an up-front fee for access to your community – not a commission on sales.

Package access to the community with other branding opportunities like naming rights

Look for opportunities to work collaboratively to increase the reach of the sponsorship and reduce the burden on volunteer time to secure it

Look at what is already in place

More and more, pure branding ie naming rights to teams, competitions etc is being valued by sponsors less. It is very hard to quantify the return on investment. However being seen as part of the community is a very important asset.

Given this, suggest the best approach is to package branding assets with networking assets.

Step 1 – create a list of your club assets

How may people and who they are that you can promote a message to

What mediums you can promote the message by

Branding of competitions

Branding on other match-day uniforms coolers, signs, water bottles etc

Branding on the website

Promotion to database via email or social media

Direct networking opportunities

Also identify what the club spends money on eg balls, uniforms, fertiliser, paint soft drink, beer, sausage etc etc. Being able to include guaranteed sales in an offer is a big asset.

Step 2 – understand the value proposition for each asset

Typically we focus on trying to secure funds for the representative teams or the senior teams as they represent the greatest costs. Access to the senior team of say 15 blokes, not worth a great deal, access to 200 juniors and their families is worth good dollars. Sponsors are less interested in the elite and want mass exposure throughout the whole club community.

Understand that your competitor is not the soccer club down the road, it is the local newspaper. You are selling the same thing – promotion to their target market.

Where a club has an advantage is in direct sales leads presented in a positive light, giving the sponsor the opportunity to be seen as part of the local community.

Step 3 – look for opportunities to work together

The bigger the pot, the bigger the reward and the less amount of energy required to achieve it. Ten clubs with 10 volunteers all trying to achieve the same result from the same prospective sponsors, plus competing with local schools and charities. Whereever possible, clubs within an association would benefit from collaborating with each other to increase the community on offer. This also puts you a part from the other people knocking on their door.

Step 4 – Look at the promotional opportunities already in place through Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket plus your local association.

Powerade Loyalty Program

Canterbury Clothing

Street Smart Energy

Step 4 – Due diligence

Ensure that any new sponsorship doesn’t jeopardise one that already exists.

Always offer your current sponsors, club members the first opportunity to secure a sponsorship.

A regular club newsletter can become an important tool for your club as it can keep club members up to date on current events, showcase the talents of individual members and record the achievements of the club. However, a club newsletter is only useful if people read it. An effective club newsletter will be interesting and relevant to the members of the club.

Things to include;

Results

News

Sponsors

Feature article

Player profiles

Upcoming Events

Upcoming match details

Joke of the week/month

Programs such as MailChimp can be used to make and email the newsletter or a simple word document can be used and mailed out to members.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

To make the process of ordering playing apparel easier there are tips you can use. Having samples of the playing apparel from the supplier at sign on is a great way to ensure the club gets an idea of their order.

This will alleviate the problem of people playing the year in incorrectly fitted clothes. To work in with the clothing samples at sign on day, clothing sizes should be put on the registration forms for each item the club will be providing. When ordering, the club should look at player numbers for the previous years as this will give the best indication towards quantities that are needed for the season ahead. Ordering an accurate number of shirts, shorts etc and in the correct sizes can help the club eliminate excess stock at the end of the year.

A club should continuously review the conditions of the facilities it uses to train, the primary tool being the nets. If an issue is found that is easily fixed by the club or members such as re tying wire, general clean up (including using a gurney to clean the nets) and patching gaps then go ahead and get this done. For any other or major issues get in contact with council to get the work done.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

August

Clubs should contact winter tenants prior to the start of the cricket season ending and the winter sport concluding.

Topics that should be covered include (not all may be relevant to your club):

Reciprocal advertising of sign-on days

Expected end of season date

Storage of equipment

Current condition of buildings, and any repairs that are needed

Access to turf wicket for renovations prior to season start

Upgrades to facilities

Possible joint functions

There can be considerable benefits for cricket clubs forming a strong relationship with the winter tenants including increased membership, greater attendance at club functions and it can also improve the chances for the club obtaining grants for facility improvement.

Ensure wicket surface is dry before mowing. Take all the grasses off while mowing, using first the rotary mower, then the cylinder mower. The aim is to get the grass cut as low as possible. Remember to use clippings catchers on your mowers to ensure organic material is removed.

Step 2. Cleaning

All clippings are removed using the catchers on both mowers. Expert follow-up use of the vacuum machine ensures that we have no clippings left on the wicket prior to the next process. The mowing and removal of organic material is an exhaustive process but it should be completed thoroughly and with great care. If you don’t have a vacuum, you should consider hiring one.

Step 3. Scarifying

When you have your turf cut as low as possible so that there is a predominance of black soil showing in all areas of your wicket, you are ready to scarify. A walk-behind scarifier is ideal for this task. This process is complete when you have taken all the visible grasses off. You are then right down to the black soil, in fact the scarifying process should cut down 5mm (¼ inch) below the surface of the black soil. This depth ensures that when we put our black soil top dressing down, we have no organic or other debris on top of the wicket surface. I cannot emphasise enough how important this process is, if any organic material or debris is sitting on the surface when we put our crushed top dressing down, it will mix with the black soil and cause layering. As discussed earlier, this condition will make it very difficult to prepare a good playing wicket.

Step 4. Rolling with spiked roller

Many wickets require this treatment following a long fallow period during the football season or just from neglect and lack of use. The spiked roller has tapered spikes which serve to simply open up the soil without removing any material. It is quite different from a coring machine which actually takes material from the wicket leaving empty cores. The holes penetrated by the action allow us to quickly and easily introduce moisture, blood and bone and crushed black soil to the upper sections of the wicket.

Step 5. Fertilising and top dressing

You will need a quantity of blood and bone and lawn food. Contact a turf fetiliser supplier and discuss your requirements each season, current condition of the block, grass coverage etc. They will recommend and supply your requirements:

Paul McLean - Nuturf - 0488 333 939Peter Abel - Globe - 0418 984 668

You will need between two and three drums of back pitch soil (44 gallon) for each wicket per season, this should be crushed before the season starts. The crushed soil should be spread either by (a) the use of a laser leveller or (b) by raking the loose soil as evenly as possible over the wicket surface. It should then be hosed into the wicket surface, until the soil becomes completely broken down (like mud). A second hose should then be used to screed off, by pulling it up and down the wicket, whilst still being hosed, a wave of water should be seen in front of the hose being used for screeding off. When satisfied that the surface is reasonably level, note any small areas of the wicket that are pooling, then at a later date gradually fill these low areas in by hand. The wicket block should be watered every day, at least for the first week, then every second day thereafter until an even layer of grass leaf appears, if possible. Six weeks should be allowed between commencement of season preparation and preparing a wicket for play Your entire wicket table should now be ready for use at any given notice so that, you would now draw a plan for the season. This should be put on paper, as to which wicket you will use for which particular game. You should feel confident; there will be no reason to alter your programme. Remember one wicket – one game. Then rest the wicket for a minimum of five to six weeks. The normal custom is to start to prepare our follow-up wicket almost two weeks before it is to be used. That is by mowing the wicket shorter and light mowing. By drawing your plan and using it, this rotational practice will become common practice.

Step 6. Follow Up

Follow up with the renovation program that works successfully for your wicket.

Applications to these grant funds are very competitive and you need to give your application every opportunity to be successful.

The boards who review the applications are looking for key criteria to be addressed, and it is best to focus your application on these:

Helping make the sport more accessible to new participants through reduced costs, improved equipment and better facilities;

Attracting new volunteers by providing the necessary training and equipment;

Providing a link to the local community with improved facilities and their ability to access these.

Retaining current participants through improvements to the club infrastructure (facilities, equipment, training).

Certain groups are generally given more priority for funding including:

Young people

People with a disability

Indigenous people

Below are some tips for the type of content to include on your application:

Application Details:

Which one category best describes the people to be assisted by your proposed application?

Select a specific group, if in doubt select “Young People”

Funding Criteria:

3 - How many people access your organisation/group facilities/services annually?

Include numbers for all cricket matches and other sports. Cricket would see 2000+ people throughout the year access the facilities (this is players, parents and volunteers). Double this number at least if you host a winter sport.

Remember – when the board reviews the application they will look at how many people will benefit.

4 - What does your organisation do?

Mention things like “develop the game of cricket” and “involve the community” and “encourage participation”

A sample answer:

The club is heavily focused on encouraging junior participation, skills development and professional team values in the game of cricket. We are dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of cricket of cricket on the Gold Coast and in our local community.

5 - What geographical area does your organisation/group cover?

The larger the area, the better. All Gold Coast clubs would have players from through the Gold Coast, not just a specific suburb. Also mention any tour matches or representative matches you host that involves other people from Queensland.

Application Overview:

1 - How did you identify the need for the grant?

Some key points for this section include:

Feedback from players, parents & volunteers

Committee meetings

Council requirements

Cricket Gold Coast requirements

Recommendations from QLD Cricket or Cricket Australia

Community Benefit:

1 - Please outline the benefit to your organisation and the community if this application is successful

THIS IS THE KEY QUESTION

Discuss the growth in the population on the Gold Coast, and in particular your local community and how you will be better able to cope with these increases if the grant is approved. Also discuss how improvements will allow you to attract schools and other community groups to use the facilities. Finally discuss how the grant will benefit your current members through reduced fees, improved training and therefore improved performance, and how it will help your current volunteers.

Sample Answer:

The Gold Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and as population increases continue, upgrades and additions to community infrastructure become necessary to ensure that appropriate facilities are provided to support community participation in sport. Suitable cricket facilities, will enable the club to continue supporting it’s members, visiting teams and surrounding schools in playing club cricket and in particularly to support participation by the community in the game of cricket.

We also believe that having these improved facilities will encourage more people from the local community to become involved in the sport, and even attract past players to return to the club.

2 - Please outline any partnerships established for this application

Partnerships may include: Cricket Gold Coast, Queensland Cricket, Gold Coast City Council, Local politicians, schools and other sports groups that use the facilities.

Grant Funding Referees:

Three referees MUST be provided. Two key referees are your development officer from Cricket Gold Coast, your local divisional councillor from Gold Coast City Council. The third referee can be from a local school or other user group of the facilities.

Junior club coaches should be sought and appointed in August / September.

If possible it is a good idea to appoint the coaches prior to sign-on day as a lot of junior players and parents wish to know who their coach is going to be for the upcoming season.

Junior coaches must hold a current Working with Children Blue Card (regardless of whether they have a child participating or not) and should at least be qualified at a level 0 Cricket Australia coach, however level 1 coaching accreditation is preferred.

The clubs expectations of its coaches should also be fully explained, including:

The club philosophy of winning v participation (this can vary from age groups and clubs)

It is integral that your club forms a good relationship with the schools in your area as the schools can help promote your club and offer children a pathway to get into cricket.

One of the greatest benefits of clubs having a strong relationship with a school is for the school to advertise the cricket club sign-on days to their students. This advertising can be in the school newsletter, website, facebook page or even a flyer sent home with the students.

Schools are often inundated with requests for information to be placed in their flyer and some may charge a small fee for this advertising. Clubs may also consider donating some spare cricket equipment to the school in return for the advertising - the added benefit is that it will encourage the school to run a cricket program.

A club handbook is a great idea to give coaches all the information they require for the season, especially new coaches. This can also ease the burden on the committee as they more information provided to coaches, the fewer questions they will be asked during the season.

The handbook should include as much information as possible, including:

Effective planning and running of the junior sign on day is vital to a club’s success for the upcoming season. This is the first point of contact the club has with all new junior players and parents, as well as returning players and “first impressions count”.

Advertising of the sign-on day is the key to a successful event. Clubs should consider advertising via the following:

Signs up at the clubrooms

Notices in local school newsletters

Notices in winter sporting code newsletters

Advertise in local council & neighbourhood watch newsletters

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Email

Letter mailout to past players

There are a range of things that need to be considered when planning the junior sign-on day:

Ensure all past junior players are contacted with details of the sign on day, including changes at the club during the off-season (committee and facilities). It is worth contacting past players who did not play last season as they may again be interested in playing.

If possible, have junior coaches appointed and have them present at sign-on day so new players can meet their coach.

If the club has coaching / scorer / committee positions vacant, have a list of positions vacant available and visible to the players and parents at sign-on day – this may help attract volunteers to fill these roles.

Conduct a coaching clinic on the day for the younger age players. Not only does this help improve them as cricketers, but it portrays a positive image for the club.

Contact local cricket retailers to have their catalogues on hand.

Consider running a sausage sizzle or similar through the day as it can encourage players and parents to spend time at the club, socialize and can drive bar sales.

Clubs should contact schools where they are allocated matches to arrange for hte club to be given a key to access school grounds as well as toilets.

Schools will prefer this than having players and spectators jump fences etc.

Sample letter follows:

====================================

To whom it may concern,

I am writing on behalf of the XXXXXX Cricket Club.

This coming season we have been allocated to play several matches at the school cricket ground and if possible I would like to arrange for our club to be given a key to acces the school grounds during these matches.

Having a key will make access to the ground a lot easier for the players and parents / spectators. An added benefit to this is that there is a significantly reduced risk of vandalism to school property whilst people are playing cricket at the school.

Please contact me to arrange a suitable time we can discuss this further and collect the key.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

It is important that all past players are informed of the upcoming sign-on day to assist the club in gauging how many senior teams they will have in the coming season.

Contact and sporting clubs you share the facilities with to arrange the advertising of the sign-on day to their members.

It can be difficult to attract the senior players to attend the sign-on day, the best option is to arrange the first club training session on this day and get the players to complete their registration forms after this session.

Refer to article this month: JUNIOR CRICKET - Sign On Day - Plan and Conduct for further details on planing a sign-on day.

September

Players need to be added into MyCricket so scorecards can be fully complete, contacting players (through emailing and texting) useful as it allows the club to contact all players and reporting of numbers for the club and Cricket Gold Coast. This is an important step at the start of the year.

Firstly log into MyCricket, under the People tab you will find “Add a New Person”. Click on the link.

Now enter the person’s name into MyCricket and search for them

If a player has been playing for a club previously they should be in MyCricket, you can search through the results and add the player or apply for clearance. If not you can add a new player at the top of the page.

If you have chosen to enter a new player you need to complete the registration form, make sure you select their role as “player”

Holding a working bee in the lead up to the season is essential. This will ensure the club is organised and ready for the season ahead and help to spread the work between members rather than leaving it too one or two people. Jobs that can be done at a working bee include;

Cleaning (clubrooms/change rooms/general club area)

Work on the clubhouse

Work on the nets and fix any minor issues

Equipment sorting

Tidy any storage sheds

To make your working bee successful you need to get members there to lend a hand. This is best achieved if the working bee is well publicised, this can be done via Facebook, ad in your newsletter, post on your website, email, text messages and word of mouth.

Match balls for the start of the season should be ordered early September.

Consider player numbers / the number of teams plus cashflow requirements to determine how many balls to order.

It is easiest to order enough balls for the entire season, however this is not always financially possible.

Also consider a ball exchange program - captains and coaches return used match balls and swap them over for a new ball for hte following game. This ensures that match balls are returned and added to the training supplies.

Player numbers need to be calculated and appropriate number of teams formed with the players. Once players have been allocated to a team provide the coach, manager and scorer with a team list (inc contact details).

All junior coaches at the club should hold a Cricket Australia Level 0 coaching accreditation as a minimum. It is essential that coaches provide people of all ages the best possible sporting experience, which will maximize their enjoyment and ensure their continued participation and development.

Below is a link to the Cricket Australia coaching website when details of the Level 0 can be obtained. This is an online course that takes very little time to complete.

The purpose of the blue card system is to contribute to the creation of safe and supportive environments for children and young people when receiving services and participating in activities which are essential to their development and wellbeing, such as child care, education, sport, and cultural activities.

While many people are familiar with the blue card itself, it is important to be aware that the initial blue card screening conducted by the Commission is only the first component of a three part system which considers past, present, and future risks:

Blue card screening to determine a person's eligibility to work with children and young people based on their known past behaviour.

Ongoing monitoring of all blue card holders and applicants to enable the Commission to take action to protect children and young people if the person is charged with a concerning offence.

Meeting with all junior coaches prior to the start of the season is very important for clubs to do. During this meeting the club can advise the coach of their expectations heading into the season and set standards and some key performance indicators. The standards set should include player and coach behaviour and should tie in with the club and its philosophy. Also the coaches requirements re myCricket should be discussed.

This meeting is also a good opportunity for coaches to ask any questions and clarify rule changes.

Coaches can also be issued with their equipment for the season ahead (balls, team kits, scorebooks, rulebooks). Club coach handbooks should have been prepared and can be issued at this meeting. Refer article in August: JUNIOR CRICKET - Prepare Junior Coach Handbook

Cricket Gold Coast need to be informed about the team numbers your clubs wish to nominate for a certain grade or age group. These nominations need to be made to the relevant coordinators (junior and senior) This can also aid the club if a certain team or age group is short of players as Cricket Gold Coast can liaise between clubs in an attempt to fill teams and get all willing people playing cricket.

Teams should have a minimum of 9 players and a maximum of 13 players otherwise it can cause issues later in the season with player absence or not being able to provide apportunities to all players.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

Cricket Gold Coast runs two senior representative programs during the season, with matches played on Sunday. Player registration forms contain an area where players can indicate if they wish to be considered for either of these formats.

Webb Shield is for open ages, Plunkett Cup is for players aged under 21.

Club coaches should also try to identify new talent to play in these competitions - players learn and improve from being exposed to a higher level of cricket.

Captains play an integral role within the fabric of any sporting club. The correct applicant needs to be sort out and appointed. This process should begin with the advertisement for the position by the club to all members. This advertisement should also include a brief description of the role and duties included.

Attendance at training

Attendance at selection meetings

Collection of match fees off players

Entering results in myCricket

Playing the game in the correct spirit and upholding the laws and values of cricket

Management of players behaviour on and off field

The appointment process should be conducted by the President, Chairmen of Selectors and Head Coach

A chairman of selectors needs to be sort out and appointed. The chairman sectors role can be quite difficult depending on how selections are run at your club. A chairman of selectors roles include but should not be limited to;

JOB DESCRIPTION (General)

CHAIRMAN OF SELECTORS

Determine the selection procedures which will ensure an effective selection process

Ensure that club policies are followed with regard to selection

Facilitate and Chair Match Committee/selection meetings

Observe training sessions and all matches

Follow up absent players who have not been excused from training

Organise player teas and other functions as requested by the Coach

Assist Senior and Reserve Coaches on match days

Liaise with Coaches in assessing recruiting needs

Ensure player group is aware of club commitments and functions

Players adhere to uniform requirements, match day and club functions

Consult with players as and when required

Ensure new players and staff are welcomed to the club and introduced to the player group and other staff

Meeting with all captain and coaches prior to the start of the season is essential for clubs to do. During this meeting the club can advise the captains and coaches of their requirements and expectations heading into the season and set standards and some key performance indicators. The standards set should include player, captain and coach behaviour and should tie in with the clubs philosophy. The selection process should also be clarified for all so if players have any questions throughout the year a captain or coach give can give them some feedback. Also the captains and coaches requirements re myCricket should be discussed.

Coaches can also be issued with their equipment for the season ahead (balls, scorebooks, rulebooks).

October

Clubs should periodically review their strategic plan to ensure that the committee decisions and club direction align with the goals set down at the start of the season.

The strategic plan should only be a short document that is easly reviewed and can even become an agenda item at every executive committee meeting.

As club members would have been consulted during the development phase of the strategic plan, it is also a good idea to update them on the progress so they are aware the club is still working towards its goals.

Refer to article in June - ADMIN – Develop Strategic Plan for a guide on preparing a strategic plan.

All players who join the club must apply for and receive clearance from their old club or association prior to playing a game for their new clubs.

Most clubs and associations are now using myCricket, and club can use the Player Clearance section of myCricket to apply for any required clearances (as shown below). Once a clearance is entered, the players old club will receive notification and be prompted to approve or decline the clearance. If the clearance is declined the club should provide a reason and then both clubs need to reach a suitable resolution.

Players may be denied clearance because of outstanding membership fees, unreturned equipment of if they are currently under suspension.

Player registrations are one of the main revenue sources for a cricket club, and close attention should be paid to this. There are a variety of strategies club can employ to recover player registrations, and there is no “right” way of doing this.

Use whatever accounting system you are comfortable with from spreadsheets and accounting software to handwritten books – it doesn’t really matter which provided you know exactly how it works and can keep it 100% accurate.

The majority of sports clubs require full payment from members prior to playing and whilst this guarantees everyone has paid their registration fees, it may deter people from joining the club. Therefore a lot of clubs also offer payment arrangements or payment plans to assist members which usually involves a certain amount paid up-front and then a weekly or fortnightly payment required.

Some useful strategies regarding player registration fees include:

Provide members with a breakdown of which their fees go towards paying (uniforms, equipment, electricity, association fees etc).

Offer a discount off a player’s fees if they volunteer in a certain capacity at the club, such as junior coach or team manager. This should be advertised prior to sign-on day and shown on the registration forms.

Advertise the amount of the fees as early as possible and offer an early payment discount – if a player wishes to pay their fees in full before the season starts, offer a small discount. The added benefit to this is that the club increases it’s cashflow at the start of the season – when it is need most.

Have EFTPOS available at the club. Players may forget to bring cash, but generally have their credit/debit card with them, therefore you eliminate one of the most common excuses.

Offer a contra deal where people can work off the amount of the registration fees. People may be short of cash, but able to do some work around the club like painting, mowing etc.

There are two key things to remember with player registration fees:

Ensure your records are accurate. It is embarrassing asking someone for money only to find out they have already paid, and it also makes it difficult to enforce any penalties for un-paid registrations if you can’t be sure who has paid or not.

If you advertise penalties for un-paid registration fees, you must follow through with them. The most common penalty is for players to be ineligible for team selection until their registration fees are paid, and whilst it can be detrimental to on-field performance in the short term to have players ruled ineligible, it is for the long-term benefit of the club to ensure all registration fees are paid.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

November

All players need to be registered and also registered in MyCricket. If players aren’t registered with MyCricket scorecards cannot be completed and points cannot be obtained. Physical player registration forms are also needed as they cover the club and player in any legalities that might arise during the season.

Applications to these grant funds are very competitive and you need to give your application every opportunity to be successful.

The boards who review the applications are looking for key criteria to be addressed, and it is best to focus your application on these:

Helping make the sport more accessible to new participants through reduced costs, improved equipment and better facilities;

Attracting new volunteers by providing the necessary training and equipment;

Providing a link to the local community with improved facilities and their ability to access these.

Retaining current participants through improvements to the club infrastructure (facilities, equipment, training).

Certain groups are generally given more priority for funding including:

Young people

People with a disability

Indigenous people

Below are some tips for the type of content to include on your application:

Application Details:

Which one category best describes the people to be assisted by your proposed application?

Select a specific group, if in doubt select “Young People”

Funding Criteria:

3 - How many people access your organisation/group facilities/services annually?

Include numbers for all cricket matches and other sports. Cricket would see 2000+ people throughout the year access the facilities (this is players, parents and volunteers). Double this number at least if you host a winter sport.

Remember – when the board reviews the application they will look at how many people will benefit.

4 - What does your organisation do?

Mention things like “develop the game of cricket” and “involve the community” and “encourage participation”

A sample answer:

The club is heavily focused on encouraging junior participation, skills development and professional team values in the game of cricket. We are dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of cricket of cricket on the Gold Coast and in our local community.

5 - What geographical area does your organisation/group cover?

The larger the area, the better. All Gold Coast clubs would have players from through the Gold Coast, not just a specific suburb. Also mention any tour matches or representative matches you host that involves other people from Queensland.

Application Overview:

1 - How did you identify the need for the grant?

Some key points for this section include:

Feedback from players, parents & volunteers

Committee meetings

Council requirements

Cricket Gold Coast requirements

Recommendations from QLD Cricket or Cricket Australia

Community Benefit:

1 - Please outline the benefit to your organisation and the community if this application is successful

THIS IS THE KEY QUESTION

Discuss the growth in the population on the Gold Coast, and in particular your local community and how you will be better able to cope with these increases if the grant is approved. Also discuss how improvements will allow you to attract schools and other community groups to use the facilities. Finally discuss how the grant will benefit your current members through reduced fees, improved training and therefore improved performance, and how it will help your current volunteers.

Sample Answer:

The Gold Coast is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and as population increases continue, upgrades and additions to community infrastructure become necessary to ensure that appropriate facilities are provided to support community participation in sport. Suitable cricket facilities, will enable the club to continue supporting it’s members, visiting teams and surrounding schools in playing club cricket and in particularly to support participation by the community in the game of cricket.

We also believe that having these improved facilities will encourage more people from the local community to become involved in the sport, and even attract past players to return to the club.

2 - Please outline any partnerships established for this application

Partnerships may include: Cricket Gold Coast, Queensland Cricket, Gold Coast City Council, Local politicians, schools and other sports groups that use the facilities.

Grant Funding Referees:

Three referees MUST be provided. Two key referees are your development officer from Cricket Gold Coast, your local divisional councillor from Gold Coast City Council. The third referee can be from a local school or other user group of the facilities.

Player registrations are one of the main revenue sources for a cricket club, and close attention should be paid to this. There are a variety of strategies club can employ to recover player registrations, and there is no “right” way of doing this.

Use whatever accounting system you are comfortable with from spreadsheets and accounting software to handwritten books – it doesn’t really matter which provided you know exactly how it works and can keep it 100% accurate.

The majority of sports clubs require full payment from members prior to playing and whilst this guarantees everyone has paid their registration fees, it may deter people from joining the club. Therefore a lot of clubs also offer payment arrangements or payment plans to assist members which usually involves a certain amount paid up-front and then a weekly or fortnightly payment required.

Some useful strategies regarding player registration fees include:

Provide members with a breakdown of which their fees go towards paying (uniforms, equipment, electricity, association fees etc).

Offer a discount off a player’s fees if they volunteer in a certain capacity at the club, such as junior coach or team manager. This should be advertised prior to sign-on day and shown on the registration forms.

Advertise the amount of the fees as early as possible and offer an early payment discount – if a player wishes to pay their fees in full before the season starts, offer a small discount. The added benefit to this is that the club increases it’s cashflow at the start of the season – when it is need most.

Have EFTPOS available at the club. Players may forget to bring cash, but generally have their credit/debit card with them, therefore you eliminate one of the most common excuses.

Offer a contra deal where people can work off the amount of the registration fees. People may be short of cash, but able to do some work around the club like painting, mowing etc.

There are two key things to remember with player registration fees:

Ensure your records are accurate. It is embarrassing asking someone for money only to find out they have already paid, and it also makes it difficult to enforce any penalties for un-paid registrations if you can’t be sure who has paid or not.

If you advertise penalties for un-paid registration fees, you must follow through with them. The most common penalty is for players to be ineligible for team selection until their registration fees are paid, and whilst it can be detrimental to on-field performance in the short term to have players ruled ineligible, it is for the long-term benefit of the club to ensure all registration fees are paid.

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

December

Clubs should periodically review their strategic plan to ensure that the committee decisions and club direction align with the goals set down at the start of the season.

The strategic plan should only be a short document that is easly reviewed and can even become an agenda item at every executive committee meeting.

As club members would have been consulted during the development phase of the strategic plan, it is also a good idea to update them on the progress so they are aware the club is still working towards its goals.

Refer to article in June - ADMIN – Develop Strategic Plan for a guide on preparing a strategic plan.

Errors can be common in MyCricket and reviewing entries is important. The easiest way to do this is as follows:

Select Season Fixtures in the Fixtures drop down menu

Then tick the box highlighted to display only your clubs games then go through each game in each grade and ensure that all details have been entered correctly (players runs, wickets, catches and final totals)

It is important to keep club websites updated – past, present and potential future players regularly check club websites and if there is no new content they will stop checking. Club sponsors also like to check websites to see if they are receiving recognition.

Ensure news items are current

Delete old events

Check sponsors and links are still active

Add new photos

Add links to website in all correspondence

Make the website a one-stop place for all information your cricketers will need – ground locations, rules, links to myCricket

Keeping Facebook and social media pages updated is very important as this is how the current generation keeps in touch with their club and teammates. Facebook becomes a very powerful tool if you can get the majority of your members using it.

Ask a member from each team to provide weekly team scores and match highlights, including any photos from matches

Add photos from club events as soon as possible after the event

Use the EVENT function to invite players and supporters to club events

Regularly check other facebook pages to invite people to join your club group / like your club page

Errors can be common in MyCricket and reviewing entries is important. The easiest way to do this is as follows:

Select Season Fixtures in the Fixtures drop down menu

Then tick the box highlighted to display only your clubs games then go through each game in each grade and ensure that all details have been entered correctly (players runs, wickets, catches and final totals)